Sardinas en cazuela

Sardinas en cazuela Sardines in casserole
You must take the thickest fresh sardines, and wash them with many waters; and then take pepper, and a little ginger, and saffron, and all this ground. Then take raisins, and almonds, and pine nuts, and all the good herbs, which are parsley and mint. And then take the sardines and the spices, and all mixed, and with the almonds, and raisins, and pine nuts, casting it all into the casserole with a good quantity of oil, and let it go to the fire over coals; and if not, to the oven.
But they are better over coals, because in the oven they cook above and below and throughout; and the sardines, to be made in this manner, should not endure the heat of the oven, but rather coals, and few of those, because they will cook at your pleasure; and if you wish to eat them in another manner, such as fried, they should be eaten with pepper, and a little vinegar or orange juice; and if you want to eat them roasted, they should be eaten with orange juice, and oil, and salt, and a little water, and pepper, and all the herbs except moraduj which is marjoram, which is also called malgilana. This recipe is from Libre del Coch attributed to Ruperto de Nola who apparently worked for the king of Naples in the early 1500’s. The book was first published in Catalan in 1529 but was also translated into Castilian and reprinted numerous times over the next hundred years. The following translation is by Robin Carroll-Mann. For the full text and a useful introduction see http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Guisados2-art.html. You will notice that I have added the orange juice in my adaptation of the recipe based on the variations given in the second paragraph (see below). The only oranges available at the time would have been Seville oranges or what are known as naranjas agrias in Latin America. These oranges are more sour than sweet. Needless to say, the sardines need to be scrupulously fresh. Figure about three to four medium-sized sardines per serving. a dozen medium-sized sardines, cleaned 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron salt 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup blanched almonds 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 2 tablespoons Seville orange juice (naranja agria) Season the sardines all over with the spices and salt. Arrange them in an earthenware casserole in one layer. Sprinkle with the herbs, raisins and nuts. Drizzle with oil and bake in 425°F oven until the sardines are just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves 4 as a modest main course

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